Safety apparatus for gas-tanks.



R. E. BRUCKNER. SAFETY APPARATUS FOR VGAS TANKS.-

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 15. 1917.

' Patented July 31, 1917.

III

' of New 85 tank and connected RUDOLPH E. BRUCKNER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY arranaros non GAS-TANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed February 15, 1917. Serial No. 148,731.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, RUDOLPH E. BRUCK- NER, a citizen of the United States of America, residin at New York, county and State ork, have invented a new and useful Safety Apparatus for Gas-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety apparatus for gas tanks. In the present use of gas 1 for cutting and welding torches, it is common to employ two tanks containing difl'erent gases which, when mixed, produce an intense flame. The commoner gases now m use include one tank of acetylene. It has been found upon the examination of these tanks that said tanks in some instances contain more or less of the other gas employed, which gas in service has in some manner been forced back into the acetylene tank. This creates an extremely dangerous condition. My invention aims at eliminating this danger. I have discovered that to do this in the most effective way, the safety apparatus 525 should be associated with the tank itself so that irrespective of the character of service,

or the apparatus employed, the tank itself will be safeguarded.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of two gas tanks connected up with a cutting or welding torch, as in service.

Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged view, mainly in section of the valve used with the up with a service pipe.

F1g. 3 is a view nected up with a-charging pipe.

1,2 represent gas tanks designed to contain different gases Which are to be con.-

veyed to a torch 3 through pipes 4-5 respectively. Suitable pressure reducing valves and gages may be employed whereby the mixture of gas in the torch may be adjusted and cont-rolled. These gases meet and mingle 5 at some common point in the torch and to prevent the possibility of the gasfrom either of the tanks from flowing into the other tank in the event, for example, of a stoppage at the tip of the torch, I have rovided a safety means which, in one preferred form,- I have shown in detail in the drawings. Referring to Figsb2 and 3, 6 represents a check valve adapted to close the outlet passage 7 against the back flow of gas under normal service conditions. 8 is the shut off valve operated by the handle 8 from the tank would indicate that the other I. W11 be of the same valve con-' by which this passage is opened or closed at will. The check valve 6 in this particular instance is mounted upon rocking member 9 pivoted at 10 and pressed by a spring 11 lnto the closin detachable en of usually provided with a ground joint to fit gas-tight into the outlet end or nipplev to which said end 12 means of of the stud valve,

may be connected by a coupling '14.

positlon. 12 represents the a service pipe which is Patented July 31, 1917.

0w assuming the parts are arranged as in Fig. 2. Upon opening the valve 8,

will flow through the passage and pass the valves 8 and 6 intoand through the service pipe. Any tendency of the gas to flow back through the passage 7 or for any foreign gas to be forced into the passage 7 and the tank connected therewith prevented by the check valve 6. Obviously means must be provided to permlt the 15, Fig. 3, is connected to the same nipple to which'the service pipe 12 is attached, and it is unless some special means is provided for unseating the check valve 6, the tank could not be charged. To that end I provide, in

one form,

the nozzle of the char i e 15 with gmg p p equally obvious that the charging o}; era-- pivoted and yet will engage the rear end of t e rocking member so as to tilt it to hold the check valve 6 open. This will always occur whenever the c hose is applied. While various means may be employed for unseating the check valve during the charging operation, the particular means shown is preferable because it prevents the charging of the tank by any unauthorized person or concern,

since in this case the' charging nozzle must be deslgned to cooperate with the valve so that by the mere application of said charging nozzle the valve will be unseated for charging purposes. Any person or concern authorized to charge the tanks would be provided with a charging 88 I the ground a 1 oint which is arranged to engage the rocknozzle suitable for cooperation with the tank.

valves, whereas the ordinary charging nozzle would be entirely unfit for such purposes unless reconstructed to embody -th1s invention. While I have shown the check valve and the means for operating the same in one preferred-form, it is obvious that each may be modified in a great variety of ways, my aim being to provide the tank valve itself with means to ermit the proper flow of gas 7 for service an to likewise prevent the hack flow of gas into the tank during service,

1 said means being also capable of such operparts that the ordinary user cannot inadvertently in opening or closing the gas passage disarran e the check valve so that it will not function properly.

I claim: i v

1. In a safety apparatus for valves for gas tanks, a valve body having a passage, a

.ing the return flow of manually controllable valve therefor, a back check valve therefor for normally preventas through said passage when said manna ly controllable valve is opened, said check valve being adapted to be opened to allow recharging of the tank.

2. In a safety apparatus for valves for gas tanks, a valve body having a passage therethrough, a manually controllable valve for said passage, a back check valve for normally preventing the return flow of gas through said passage, and means for unseating said check valve to permit charging, includlng, a charging nozzle cooperating with said check valve to unseat the same for said purpose when said charging nozzle is applied.

In a safety apparatus for valves for gas tanks, a valvebody having a passage therethrough, a manually operable valve for opening and check valvefor normally preventing the return flow of gas through said passage, and means for operating the first mentioned valve independently of the second mentioned valve, and means for unseating the second mentioned valve, when the first mentioned valve is open, to permit charging.

I RUDOLPH E. BRUCKNER.

closing said passage, a back 

